Ineffable High School
by PhoenixFeather26
Summary: Fluff fic with a bit of hurt Crowley and oblivious Aziraphale mixed in. Beelzebub is Crowley's sister, Gabriel is Aziraphale's boyfriend (FOR NOW.) *Hint hint wink wink* Basically your basic high school au story. I like the fluff, sue me.
1. An Ineffable Introduction

Aziraphale was a quiet student. He maintained high grades and was generally liked by his teachers. He wasn't entirely bullied, but he was a pushover. He tended to hang around the small group of elite students on track to go to some of the best colleges, and most likely all become lawyers, doctors, or businessmen, all of which sounded entirely unappealing to Aziraphale. All Aziraphale wanted was to settle down with a bookshop of his own. Something quiet and unassuming. Not that he would tell his 'friends' that, of course. So, he found himself sitting crammed between the broad shoulders of his current boyfriend, Gabriel, and Gabriel's friend Michael as they sat in their public library, completing some of their summer reading. Suddenly, Gabriel stood.

"I'm beat. I say we take a break for a bit. Maybe go for a jog. Aziraphale? Are you in?" He asked, clapping his hands over Aziraphale's shoulders. He started at the sudden touch and whipped around to look at the taller man.

"What?"

"We're going for a jog."

"We are?" Aziraphale asked, looking down at his lap.

"Yep," Gabriel answered, popping the 'p.' "You look like you could use it anyways. Gained a bit of weight there, darling." He finished, poking Aziraphale's stomach as he stood. Aziraphale looked down in shame.

"I don't have running clothes, Gabriel. I hardly think that a waistcoat is appropriate for that kind of exertion. Gabriel only rolled his eyes.

"Well, you should get some soon, _darling._ Come on, Michael." Michael nodded as she grabbed her headphones off the table, and walked off with Gabriel, leaving Aziraphale alone in the library.

Walking up the stairs for the first day of school, Aziraphale had a nervous feeling in his stomach. He glanced over his schedule.

1st period: AP Statistics

2nd period: Choir

3rd period: Biology and Botany

4th period: Cooking and Home Development

5th period: AP English

6th period: AP Government

Aziraphale sighed. He hated all the required courses. He couldn't sing for the life of him, yet his school required him to take a musical class. While he might've taken band, Gabriel insisted that the choir needed more male voices. He had never been one for cooking either, though he did enjoy eating he supposed. And he really didn't understand why he needed to learn about plants. Gabriel had also pressured him into joining AP gov, though he supposed it wouldn't be all that bad. And he was quite good at English. And math… well… there were tutors. As he walked into his first class, he saw Gabriel sitting in the front. He moved to sit by him, before the teacher called out:

"Mister… ah.. what's your name?"

"Aziraphale, sir." Aziraphale answered.

"Mister Az… Azir… ah... there is a seating chart. It looks like you'll be sitting next to Mister Crowley in the back there. Aziraphale turned to look at the boy, before making his way over. He wore dark, round sunglasses, and headphones that covered a shock of red hair. He wore a dark waistcoat, a navy-blue dress shirt, and a black coat that was far too big for his small frame. Aziraphale sat down heavily before taking out his notebook and turning to the boy named Crowley.

"Hello." Aziraphale said, cheerfully. Crowley looked slightly startled, before slinking back into his original cool posture.

"Hey."

"What are you listening to?"

"Queen."

"The queen?" Aziraphale asked, confused.

"No, it's a rock band… do you not know who Queen is?" Crowley hissed lightly.

"No, I don't entirely enjoy rock music." Aziraphale answered. Crowley looked at him for a long moment.

"Shame." He shrugged, before turning back to the front. It wasn't till halfway through the lesson when Crowley finally spoke again. "Could you stop it with the tapping?"

"Hmm?" Aziraphale asked, before looking sheepishly down at his pencil. "Oh, yes, sorry. I'm just trying to figure this problem out." Crowley gazed over at Aziraphale's work.

"The answer is yes." He said, a moment later.

"Thank you, but I need to know how to get to the answer." Aziraphale responded, slightly irritated.

"You forgot to square it. It's observed minus expected squared. Over expected. And you do that for each of them."

"…and what does that do?" Aziraphale asked, confused.

"Here. Take three and subtract one, and two and subtract one. Multiply that. What does it get?"

"Two, but I don't understand how that helps…"

"It's the degree of freedom. Now take your calculator…"

"The teacher didn't say to use a calculator. She said to use a chart."

"Well it's easier to use a calculator, and she said we'd be allowed to have it on the test." Crowley explained, exasperated. Aziraphale paused. On one hand, he wanted to do everything exactly as the teacher had instructed him to, to follow her lesson plan. But on the other, Crowley's way wasn't wrong… or it didn't seem wrong… and it was easier.

"Alright. So now what do we do?" He finally decided.

"Now, we simply plug both the degree of freedom and your first number into the calculator… oh and the highest you want it to be… put in like a million or something… and enter. See?"

"Not really." Aziraphale sighed.

"That's your p-value. And it's less than zero, which means…"

"That we reject the null hypothesis and there is convincing evidence of an association between the two variables!" Aziraphale finished, beaming. Crowley looked shocked.

"Keep it down in the back!" The teacher cautioned.

"How'd you know the wording and not the math?" Crowley asked, lowering his voice to a hiss.

"Letters make sense to me. Numbers, not so much." Aziraphale whispered back. Crowley gave him a snakelike grin.

"I think we can make a sort of arrangement out of this."

"Oh?" Aziraphale asked, nervously.

"Yeah. You help me with the fancy word stuff, I'll help you with the math." Aziraphale considered this. He knew Gabriel wouldn't like him working with someone else. As it was, his boyfriend had been shooting glares in his direction. But then again, he knew he desperately needed the help if he was going to make it through the class. He gazed at the smaller boy's hand, outstretched towards his own, and shook it.

"Alright." Aziraphale answered finally, and as he watched the boy's face erupt into a beautiful, pleased smile, he knew he had made the right decision.

The rest of math class went by relatively uneventfully. Crowley helped Aziraphale get to the right answer, and Aziraphale helped Crowley with how he should phrase his explanation. Aziraphale even found himself enjoying working with Crowley and was disappointed when the hour was over. He was about to offer to walk the boy out, but Gabriel quickly stood from his desk as the bell rang, walked over to Aziraphale, and promptly kissed him. Aziraphale attempted to push him away, but by the time Gabriel had let go, Aziraphale saw that Crowley was already making his way out the door.

"You didn't have to do that," Aziraphale chided gently.

"Just marking my territory." Gabriel grinned, and brought his arm to Aziraphale's lower back as they walked out of the classroom together. In choir, Aziraphale and Gabriel were separated as Gabriel was a bass, while Aziraphale was a baritone. They were beginning to warm up, when Aziraphale heard what he decided was the most beautiful tenor voice. He cautiously glanced to the side and was shocked to find the same boy from math class singing. It was only a warmup exercise, but it left Aziraphale hungry to hear what else he could sing afterwards. After warming up, the teacher announced a list of songs that would include solo parts. Aziraphale's ears perked up when he heard a song by the name of "Somebody to Love" by Queen. He looked over to Crowley and noted that for a brief moment his face lit up, before reverting to its original indifferent state. He also was disappointed when he saw that Crowley wasn't going to audition for a solo. The hour passed quickly after that, Aziraphale only twice being called out for not paying attention, but he really couldn't help himself, the other boy's voice was so intoxicating.

He quickly ran to meet up with Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael after the hour had ended. He walked to third hour with Gabriel, (he had every class except for cooking and home development with him as Gabriel had made sure that their schedules would line up,) but was again directed to the back of the room as another seating chart was assigned. This time however, he was with a short, dark haired girl, who introduced herself as Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Aziraphale laughed at what he thought was a joke about the novel, but quickly silenced himself at her intense stare. He spotted Crowley across the room, sitting next to Gabriel, who was talking to him menacingly. He looked so small compared to the more muscular boy. Aziraphale nearly got up to go over but felt a hand wrap around his arm.

"He'll be fine." Beelzebub said, quietly. Looking down at her, he spotted her name tag, and noted her last name quickly. He sat in silence for some time, before his curiosity got the better of him.

"Ah… Beelzebub?" He asked, slowly. "I couldn't help but notice, your nametag… your last name… Crowley?"

"I don't go by that name."

"Right but…"

"He's my older brother."

"Oh. Well he…"

"Has a lovely voice in choir."

"Well yes but… how did you…"

"I'm very perceptive when it comes to my older brother. I like to know who he is consorting with. I saw you watching him in second period."

"Oh… I didn't realize you were in our class."

"I'm not." She finished cryptically, giving him a long hard stare, before turning her attention back to the front. Aziraphale turned once again to Crowley across the room, but quickly turned away as he looked back at him. Beelzebub only raised an eyebrow in his direction, before smiling lightly and beginning her work.

"I met your sister," Aziraphale said suddenly, as he sat next to Crowley in fourth period. Crowley said nothing, and only stared down at his hands.

"She seems… well… she's something else. I saw she was interested in entomology."

"I'm surprised you saw anything with the amount of face sucking you seem to be doing with that meat head you call a boyfriend." Crowley muttered.

"What was that? I'm not sure I caught that last part, dear boy," Aziraphale laughed nervously.

"Nothing." Crowley hissed. They sat in silence for a moment.

"You know… he's really not that bad… once you get to know him." He said. Crowley said nothing. "It seems like we're in a lot of classes together, huh."

"Yep."

"It's a bit weird, don't you think? Almost…"

"Ineffable?" Crowley finished.

"Not the word that I would have used, but sure." Aziraphale laughed. The teacher came around and passed out the first assignment of the year. "Well… looks like this is our first project together, huh." Aziraphale stated. Crowley nodded in confirmation, as they both gazed down at the paper together.

"Food groups. Boring." Crowley huffed.

"I find them quite fascinating!" Aziraphale retorted. "I mean, we need food to live. So it's important to know the types of food we should be eating to make sure our bodies get the right kind of nutrients." Aziraphale sighed wistfully as he glanced over the section on desserts. "I've always had a sweet tooth myself. Gabriel's always telling me to cut back on the sweets. I suppose he's right." Aziraphale glanced down at his midsection. Crowley turned sharply to him.

"You look good." He said. Then, after Aziraphale raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly amended his statement. "I mean, from the health point of view. You look like you're in good health.

"Thank you, I suppose. Well, I suppose we should get started?" Aziraphale asked, looking over at Crowley expectantly.

"Yes, I suppose we should." Crowley confirmed. Aziraphale couldn't help but notice that Crowley inched slightly towards him, or the way his head leaned slightly in his direction, and if his own head was doing the same, well, one could blame it on the fact that he had left his reading glasses at home.


	2. Singing in the Rain

Chapter 2:

At the end of fourth period, both he and Crowley walked together during lunch. Aziraphale rambled on about the new book he was reading, and was shocked when Crowley didn't stop him, and just silently listened.

"Something wrong?" Crowley asked, looking down at the shorter of the pair as he faltered in his words.

"Ah… no. It's just… well it's stupid."

"What?"

"People don't normally go off on a rant like this I suppose. I'm just surprised that you hadn't cut me off yet."

"I like hearing you talk. What were you saying about the book?" Crowley asked, and gave a light smile as Aziraphale began talking at full speed again. Crowley was about to walk into the cafeteria with Aziraphale just as he noticed Gabriel giving him a dark look from across the room. He slowed his step, then quietly bid Aziraphale goodbye before slinking back out of the lunchroom. Aziraphale watched him go wistfully, before going over to Gabriel, who would no doubt grill him about his poor eating habits.

Aziraphale found himself disappointed when he did not see the fiery shock of red hair in either his fifth or sixth periods. He sat next to Gabriel in both. After he visited his locker for a final time that day, he walked to the school steps where he was supposed to get a ride home from Gabriel, but he found himself sitting on the steps alone for nearly an hour before his boyfriend texted him apologizing and telling him that he had football practice. Aziraphale sighed, preparing himself to make the walk home, but stopped himself as he heard a noise coming from the side of the school. Someone was singing. He quietly made his way around the corner, ducking behind a bush, and staring out into the garden that followed.

_Got no feel, I got no rhythm__  
__I just keep losing my beat_

Aziraphale silently watched, wide eyed, as Crowley sang quietly to the plants as he gently watered them.

_I'm OK, I'm alright__  
__I ain't gonna face no defeat_

He had heard a bit of his voice in choir, but that had been sad, and halfhearted. Beautiful none the less but compared to this… now Crowley was full of passion. Aziraphale leaned out slightly more, to see his movements through the garden.

_I just gotta get out of this prison cell__  
__Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!_

Leaning out just a bit further, mesmerized, Aziraphale slowly became aware that the ground was coming towards him at alarming speed. He moved to right himself, but it was too late, and the red-haired boy spun around towards him.

"What do you think you're doing?" He yelped frantically at Aziraphale, as his cheeks were slowly becoming flush with his hair.

"I just heard singing and I…" Aziraphale stammered but was quickly shut up when Crowley picked him up by the lapels and pinned him to the back wall of the school.

"You are not to tell anybody of what you heard today, do you understand me?" Crowley hissed. Aziraphale nodded quickly, and he let him down.

"You have a very nice voice, dear." Aziraphale said quietly, after a moment. The color had not gone away from Crowley's face, and he only grunted indignantly. "I'm serious, why don't you try out for the solo in choir?" Crowley once again only shrugged, as he turned back to the garden. Realizing that he would get no where with the topic of conversation, he quickly changed it. "What are you doing back here anyways?" At that, Crowley grinned.

"Putting the fear of God in these plants."

"Pardon?" Aziraphale asked, concerned.

"I run the garden club." Crowley shrugged, indifferently.

"But there's no one else here."

"There weren't any advertisements sent out."

"So you're the only one in the club?"

"Mhmm." Crowley said, clearly proud of himself.

"I see." Aziraphale said, looking around at the garden once more. Crowley's face fell slightly.

"Do you not like it?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Oh, no, it's lovely, I'm just not one for gardening is all." Crowley looked around. "There's a bench over there, if you'd like to sit and read while I garden." Aziraphale was about to respond, when a fat raindrop fell on his nose.

"Oh, bollocks." Aziraphale exclaimed.

"You what?" Crowley said, appearing scandalized at the other boy's language.

"Sorry, I should be getting home before it really starts raining. Thank you for the offer though, dear boy, perhaps some other day!" Aziraphale exclaimed, before making to hurry off.

"Wait! Aziraphale wait just a damn minute, would you?" Crowley exclaimed. Aziraphale spun around.

"What!"

"Are you walking home?"

"Well, yes, seeing as my boyfriend bailed on giving me a ride." Aziraphale explained, quickly.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

"But what about your garden?" Aziraphale asked. Crowley simply laughed.

"No sense in watering it while it's raining."

"Oh, well, I suppose that's true. Well… if you're sure it's ok with you…"

"Yes, I'm sure, now hurry up before your books are ruined." Crowley exclaimed, dashing off to the parking lot.

"Wait Crowley!" Aziraphale panted, struggling to keep up. Crowley huffed in exasperation, but slowed his pace nevertheless. Finally, they reached the car. A black Bentley, that looked like it had been used for ten too many years.

"How old is this car?" Aziraphale asked, out of breath as they finally sat inside. Crowley shrugged.

"Dunno."

They sat for a moment before Crowley leaned forward and turned on the radio. A song began blasting at full volume. Aziraphale instantly covered his ears.

"Ah… Crowley, would you be a dear and turn down the radio a bit?" He asked, pleadingly.

"You're no fun." Crowley complained, but obliged anyways.

"Ah. That's better. This actually isn't to bad when it's not blowing my ear drums out." Aziraphale said happily. "What is this?"

"Queen." Crowley replied.

"Is that all you listen to?"

"Sort of. The Best of Queen CD got stuck in the car. But I also like the band." Crowley shrugged.

"I see. Oh, and my address is 888 Bethlehem Lane." Crowley nodded, and the car suddenly lurched forward, speeding out of the parking lot and into oncoming traffic. Aziraphale screeched and covered his eyes as a cacophony of car horns met his ears, but when there wasn't a crash that followed, he slowly took his hands from his face, only to be met with the speedometer reading 60 miles per hour.

"Crowley!" Aziraphale yelled over the wind and the music.

"What?" Crowley yelled back.

"You're going to fast, for God's sake slow down!" Aziraphale yelped frantically. Crowley only grinned and continued to weave through traffic. "You're going to get pulled over!" Again, Crowley didn't respond, until they were finally at Aziraphale's door.

"Well, I suppose this is you, huh." Crowley said, running a hand through his hair, and laying his arm casually over the passenger seat. Aziraphale sat still, eyes wide and hair a mess. Crowley suddenly looked worried.

"Are you alright angel?" That got Aziraphale's attention.

"What did you call me?"

"Er… angel. Because of your name, I mean. Biblical." Crowley blushed lightly.

"Oh." Aziraphale responded.

"I won't call you it if you don't like it." Crowley said, quietly.

"No, no. It's alright. I don't mind." Aziraphale responded. There was a beat of silence.

"Are you alright?" Crowley asked again. Aziraphale was still breathing heavily, before he finally replied.

"You go a too fast for me Crowley." Crowley rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'm sorry." _A beat._ "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, I suppose you will." Aziraphale was about to exit the car, when he suddenly turned back to Crowley. "Ah… Crowley? I don't suppose… well… ah…"

"What?"

"Could I have your number? For math help of course, just since we had homework and I'm not entirely sure that I know how to do it all yet, and…"

"Aziraphale, hey, it's alright. I agree. For math help, of course." Crowley grinned, and Aziraphale smiled shyly at him. After Crowley had given him his number, Aziraphale got out of the car.

"Thank you ever so much for the ride home, Crowley, even if it was a bit terrifying." He said, laughing lightly. Crowley only nodded and waved his hand at him before speeding off.

That night, Aziraphale sat moving his food around his plate. His parents looked at each other concerned.

"Zira? Honey, are you alright? You've hardly touched your sushi. I made it special for you, just the way you like it." His mother asked, gently. After he didn't respond, his father cur in.

"Aziraphale, your mother asked you a question." He said, sternly. Aziraphale suddenly looked up.

"What?"

"What's going on, dear?" His mother pressed again.

"It's nothing, I was just lost in thought."

"Is it something to do with Gabriel?" His father asked.

"Oh, that Gabriel, such a lovely boy, it's nothing to do with him, is it?"

"No, no. Nothing to do with Gabriel. Well, actually… he just… well he said he was going to give me a ride home, but he never showed, and I waited at the school for an hour after until he finally texted me saying he and his friends had practice… and… oh I don't know." Aziraphale looked back down at his plate.

"Ah. Well he is a very busy boy, you can't always rely on him to give you a ride home. And I suppose that explains why you were so late getting home." His mother said, evenly. "So, he eventually dropped you off then?"

"No."

"No? Well someone must have, it was pouring, and you barely had a drop on you!"

"My… well… friend? Dropped me off."

"Your friend? Who, Michael? I didn't know she had a car." His father said.

"No, he's a… new friend. I think he's a friend at least."

"What's his name?" His mother asked, concern written all over her face.

"Crowley. Well, that's his last name at least."

"What's his first name?"

"I'm not entirely certain." Aziraphale said, looking up at his father as he gave a huff of frustration.

"Well, I wouldn't trust anyone who doesn't give their first name unless they're a teacher, especially if you've just met them, do you hear? If you ever need a ride, just call your mother or I. Understood?"

"Yes father." Aziraphale sighed. While it had been terrifying to ride with Crowley, it had also in a way been exhilarating. As he went to bed, he found himself frustrated that he could no longer concentrate on his homework, all thoughts going back to the red headed boy. Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

"Speak of the devil…" Aziraphale murmured, as he opened his texts.

**Crowley: **hey. how did u word 6 on the hw? accept ho?

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

Is the p value greater than 0.05?

Sincerely, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley**: yep.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

Then you would say that "because the p value is greater than 0.05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. There is convincing evidence of an association between _ and _." I hope this helps!

Sincerely, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley**: isn't accept = fail to reject?

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

No, I don't believe so. You can never accept the null hypothesis, only fail to reject it.

Sincerely, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley**: that's stupid.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

Yes. Yes it is stupid.

Sincerely, Aziraphale. 😊

_ Seen at 9:36_

Aziraphale sighed as he sat back in his chair. He forced himself to get through the few remaining math problems before curling in bed with his book. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, his thoughts still dwelled on the boy he caught singing in the garden.


	3. Talking with Nobody

Chapter 3:

The next day, Aziraphale woke feeling slightly groggy. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and squinted as they adjusted to the light before he slowly made his way out of bed and to his closet. He picked out a beige tartan vest, a dress shirt, and a bow tie with tan pants. Looking in the mirror, he nodded in satisfaction, before heading down the stairs and into the kitchen where his mother had already set down a plate of eggs and bacon. He quickly ate, then hurried to pull on his coat before his mother stopped him.

"You ate so fast, did you get enough dear?"

"Yes, mother." Aziraphale replied, pulling on a pair of dark brown dress shoes.

"What's the hurry?" She laughed lightly, leaning on the doorframe as she watched her son fumbling with his shoelaces.

"No hurry, just excited is all." He smiled brightly up at her, before stepping out of the door. Gabriel had promised to give him a ride to school to make up for leaving him, but instead of a silver Mercedes-Benz, he was greeted with an empty road. He sighed, before beginning the walk to school. However, he whirled around once he heard the squeal of tires turning the corner behind him.

"What on Earth…" Aziraphale muttered under his breath, squinting against the sun to see the car that had made such a noise. His eyes widened slightly as he saw it was the same black Bentley that had dropped him off at his house the previous night. The Bentley squealed to a halt in front of Aziraphale, and the window rolled down.

"Crowley? What in God's name are you doing here?" Aziraphale asked, shocked.

"I was passing by and saw you walking." Crowley said casually. Aziraphale raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. "So that boyfriend of yours bailed on you again, I take it?" He asked.

"He didn't bail. He's just very busy." Aziraphale said defensively.

"Whoa, take it easy, it was just a joke. You want a ride?" Crowley asked, putting his hands up in surrender.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Aziraphale said curtly. "People might talk." Crowley's face seemed to fall slightly at that.

"People talk all the time. I don't care."

"Yes, well I do." Aziraphale said. "And I don't want it publicly known that I've been… fraternizing with such a… such a… hooligan!"

"Fraternizing? Hooligan?" Crowley gasped in mock offense. "Well I never?" He laughed, before growing serious. "I'm being serious though; do you want a ride?"

"So was I, Crowley. I don't think it's a good idea." Aziraphale responded, looking away. Crowley pursed his lips, before nodding.

"Right, right. Of course! Yes. Well, I'll be going now. See you in there." Crowley said, but Aziraphale didn't miss the slight look of hurt before he sped away. He felt guilty but shook the feeling off and continued on his way.

To his surprise, Aziraphale noted that Crowley was not in class. He struggled through his problems but managed to get through them with some assistance from the teacher. Looking to the side in choir, he found that Crowley was not there either. Nor was he in third hour. Aziraphale even asked Beelzebub if she had seen him, and she only shrugged, saying that he probably had skipped. When he didn't show up for fourth hour, Aziraphale was seriously worried. He pulled out his phone and started typing a quick message.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

I am just a bit concerned that you have not been in any of the classes we share. I hope that you are alright. Please, text me back if you get this message.

Sincerely, Azi...

"Mr. Fell!" The teacher exclaimed, causing Aziraphale to drop his phone.

"Yes ma'am?" Aziraphale said, nervously.

"You know my policy on cell phones young man. Your parents may come by to pick it up at the end of the day." Aziraphale miserably handed his phone to the teacher before he could even hit send. Now, not only did he not know where Crowley was, he'd also have to explain to his parents why he was texting in the middle of the school day. He supposed he should have stayed away from Crowley after all, but there was just something so intriguing about him that he couldn't seem to.

Walking into the lunchroom, he once again spotted Gabriel and moved to sit by him. He opened his lunch and began quietly eating, until Gabriel took his arm and turned him so that they were facing each other. Aziraphale only stared up at Gabriel, a bit confused, with sandwich in hand.

"What's up with you today?" Gabriel asked, a bit harshly.

"What do you mean?" Aziraphale shot back.

"You've just been so quiet! By this point I usually have to shut you up for talking my ear off about whatever stupid book you're reading. What's with the silent treatment?"

"Well, if I'm being honest, I'm a bit… disappointed. You kind of… sort of… left me stranded both yesterday after school and today. I had to walk." Aziraphale said. It wasn't completely a lie. He did walk to school that morning. Gabriel leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, is that all? I was worried it was something important. You know I'm busy, babe. I can't always be a personal driver for you."

"I understand, but you did say you would drive me."

"Never mind what I said. Things change. I'm at practice tonight also." He shrugged, turning back to his food.

"Thank you for telling me. I'll see if my parents can… oh."

"What?"

"Well I suppose they'll be here anyways." Aziraphale murmured, looking down at his lap and twirling his thumbs.

"Why?"

"I got my phone taken away in class."

"Why were you on your phone anyways?" Gabriel asked, suspiciously.

"I was texting."

"Who?"

"It's not important. But they'll be here after school to pick it up." Aziraphale groaned, putting his head in his hands. Gabriel frowned.

"Aziraphale, I have built up quite a reputation here at this school. It's why I started dating you. You're a good student who stays out of trouble. So I don't want you ruining that reputation by throwing in the towel now, alright? Otherwise, we're going to have some problems." Aziraphale nodded miserably. "Good. Anyways, let me tell you about practice last night, it was insane…" Aziraphale zoned out as Gabriel began talking about the practice, his mind wandering back to Crowley. Throughout his last two hours of the day, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was his own fault Crowley didn't show up. After school, the bell rang, and Aziraphale walked slowly to the principle's office with his head down. His mother was already waiting there, with a disappointed look on her face and her arms crossed.

"Aziraphale Fell," she began. "I got a call from the school saying that you had your phone taken away. Care to explain why?"

"I know, I'm very sorry mother… I was texting and I shouldn't have been, I promise it won't happen again." Aziraphale said quietly, looking at his feet. His mother sighed, giving him a long look before responding.

"I know it won't. Let's go." The ride home was quiet. Once they were inside the house, Mrs. Fell handed Aziraphale his phone back, after he once again promised not to text in class. Aziraphale then hurried upstairs, shut his door, and sent the text he had been meaning to send in fourth hour.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

I am just a bit concerned that you were not in any of the classes we share. I hope that you are alright. Please, text me back if you get this message.

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

_Seen at 3:15_

Aziraphale huffed in annoyance, before sending out another text.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

I got my phone taken away in fourth hour today because I was trying to text and see if you were alright. I really hope it was worth it. The least you could do is text me back. I know you are seeing this.

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

He waited a moment, before he saw the three dots pop up on his screen. Then:

**Crowley: **sorry

Aziraphale stared at the text. No explanation, or even proper apology, just one, measly sorry. He felt himself grow annoyed, and began drafting another text.

**Aziraphale: **To Crowley:

Listen here, you oaf. I got in trouble because of you. Not just with the teacher, but with the principle as well, my mother had to come up to the school to collect my phone! Not to mention Gabriel is now angry at me. And all you have to offer is a "sorry"?

From, Aziraphale.

Aziraphale hovered over the send button for a moment, before deciding to delete the message all together. After all, it wasn't entirely Crowley's fault that he got in trouble. It wasn't at all, in fact. It had been his choice to text him. But dammit if Aziraphale wasn't worried. He decided on a new message.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

Are you alright?

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

_Seen at 3:21_

Aziraphale sighed, and slumped back against his headboard, before deciding to get a start on his homework. It wasn't until late that night when he was drifting off to sleep when he awoke to his phone buzzing.

**Crowley**: u awake?

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

Now I am.

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

**Crowley**: i'm outside.

Aziraphale stared at the text for a long moment, before getting up to look out his window. Sure enough, the Bentley was parked, and Crowley was leaning up against it looking at his phone.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

Why?

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

**Crowley**: to apologize.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

It's eleven thirty at night, Crowley.

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

**Crowley**: can you come down? i brought something.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley:

That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid it will have to wait till morning. My parents are still upset that I got in trouble. I shouldn't even be texting you right now.

Sincerely, Aziraphale.

_Seen at 11:32_

Suddenly, Aziraphale heard Crowley's car start up, before he sped off. Aziraphale felt a bit guilty for sending him away, after all it did seem like he was making an effort to be nice, but quickly shook off the feeling and went back to sleep. The next morning, he was called down for breakfast by his mother.

"Oh, honey, this was left on the door for you, with a note." His mother said cheerfully after he had finished eating. Aziraphale carefully opened the wrapped present, and gasped, as it was a copy of _To the Lighthouse._ He had, after all, been telling Crowley about how much he adored Virginia Woolf. He smiled fondly. He had already read the book of course, but he didn't have his own copy. His mother's words broke his train of thought.

"Oh, how lovely! It must be from Gabriel, for not being able to give you a ride home the other day, such a thoughtful boy." Aziraphale only hummed at that, smiling again as he thought about who it was really from, before hurrying out the door to school. He frowned when he was met with the sight of Gabriel sitting in his car and blasting the radio. He knew he shouldn't be disappointed; it was his boyfriend after all; but he couldn't help it. He climbed into the car slowly, and Gabriel didn't waste anytime in pulling him in for a kiss. He smiled smugly, while Aziraphale shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Dear, would you mind turning the radio down just a tad?" Aziraphale asked, over the music.

"I actually like it at this volume. Let's keep it here for now." Gabriel responded.

"Alright." They spent the rest of the drive in silence, except for the loud sounds coming from Gabriel's radio.


	4. Shattered

Chapter 4:

When Aziraphale arrived in his first class, he was delighted to find that Crowley was once again slouching in his chair, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. He tried his best to hide his excitement, but still wore a broad smile as he walked up to the boy.

"Hello, Crowley." He said. Crowley nodded in recognition.

"Hey Aziraphale," he said coolly. "Ah… sorry about the whole phone business yesterday. Never meant to get you into trouble with my antics. You should know I don't show up to school sometimes. Don't worry about it too much." Aziraphale's face fell.

"Yes, actually that's what I was meaning to talk to you about, well… you see." Aziraphale began but was cut off when the teacher announced the beginning of class. He mouthed a quick 'sorry' over to Crowley, who merely shrugged. By the time class was over, Aziraphale had forgotten the ordeal, laughing with Crowley about a joke he had made of a problem regarding the changing population of ducks in England. His enjoyment was short lived however, when Gabriel came by and once again attempted to kiss Aziraphale. This time however, Aziraphale backed away slightly, just enough to make it noticeable. He wasn't entirely sure himself if it was intentional, but after realizing what he had done, he simply gave Gabriel a quick peck on the lips before hurrying to his next hour, Gabriel trailing behind him with a sour look on his face.

Standing in choir, he felt the same excitement he had felt when he had seen Crowley that morning, waiting in anticipation to hear him sing once again. For a moment, the excitement wavered as he was worried that Crowley had skipped once again, but once he saw the dark glasses and red hair saunter through the door it came back tenfold. He willed himself to concentrate on his own parts, only occasionally having to reel himself in from getting lost in the other boy's voice. Stealing a few quick glances over at him, Aziraphale noted happily that Crowley really did look content, if not a bit self-conscious. After the hour had ended, he looked around for Gabriel, only to see his back exiting the choir room. Sighing, he made to walk on his own, before he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.

"Oh, hello again Crowley." Aziraphale said, happily. "Lovely singing again today."

"Shut up." Crowley replied, eyebrows drawn. Then, face relaxing, "walk with me to class?" Aziraphale nodded in response.

"Say, how old is Crowley?" Aziraphale asked, turning to Beelzebub suddenly in third period. She gave him a quizzical look.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I was just curious. He wouldn't tell me anything personal about him. I don't even know his first name," he laughed.

"What makes you think I would tell you?" Beelzebub asked, in a rather monotone voice.

"I don't know." Aziraphale said. "Sorry." Beelzebub stared at him for another long moment.

"You like him."

"Yes, I suppose he is nice." Aziraphale responded, but his eyes widened when the corners of the girl's mouth twitched upwards. "NO! No. Not like that. No. I have a boyfriend. I'm very much content with. Crowley's just a friend."

"A friend?"

"An acquaintance." Aziraphale corrected quickly.

"An _acquaintance_?" Beelzebub asked, screwing up her face slightly.

"Yes." They sat in silence for a moment.

"Anthony. 18."

"Hmm?" Aziraphale asked, confused.

"His name. He is Anthony J. Crowley. And he is 18 years old."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because I'm your _acquaintance_." Beelzebub said in a bored, mocking tone as she twirled her pencil around in her fingers and slouched back in her chair. Aziraphale nodded and mouthed an 'oh.'

_Anthony, _he thought to himself. _Anthony J. Crowley._

In fourth hour, the teacher announced their first official cooking assignment. Aziraphale was not entirely looking forward to it. He had never been a good cook, as he was a bit scatterbrained when it came to doing multiple tasks at once, but making spaghetti seemed simple enough, especially without any meat. _At least we'll get to eat it at the end, _he thought. Aziraphale suddenly felt someone come up behind him, and glance over his shoulder.

"This recipe is garbage." Crowley said, scoffing as he looked down at the list. Aziraphale looked up at him

"You don't like cooking either?"

"I never said that. I said that this recipe is garbage."

"Why is it garbage?" Aziraphale asked, cocking his head slightly.

"Everyone knows handmade pasta is better. It's just a fact. And there's no meat sauce. At the very least there should be meat sauce! But no, we're boiling premade noodles then pouring some tomato sauce over it. With salt and garlic and onions. And shredded cheese on top. No basil, no oregano, no nothing!" Crowley said, annoyed. Aziraphale tried to stifle a laugh but couldn't help himself. Crowley threw a menacing glare at him, but it only made him laugh harder. Soon, he was thrown into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?" Crowley snapped.

"It's just… it's just… you look really cute when you're mad." Aziraphale said, laughing, but quickly cut himself off as he realized what he had just said. He stared up at Crowley who had an equally surprised expression on his face, as his ears began to turn red. "I mean of course in a very platonic way. As in a puppy is cute. That's not to say I'm attracted to the puppy, I just think puppies are cute!" Aziraphale managed to stutter out.

"Are you comparing me to a puppy?" Crowley asked, the surprise in his face gone, and replaced with an incredulous look.

"You kind of are." Aziraphale said, recomposing himself.

"I am not!"

"You are too! You act all big and mean but really, you're just a big softy who likes singing to plants and cooking pasta!" Aziraphale began laughing again as Crowley frantically shushed him.

"Hey! We had an agreement! Never to speak about that again!"

"You're right, and I'm sorry." Aziraphale replied, sobering. "Let's get to work, shall we? What should we do first?"

"I suppose we'll have to boil the pasta. I'll start chopping the garlic if you could do that." Crowley said. Aziraphale nodded.

"Ah… how do I… do that?"

"Turn on the stove. Pour water in the pan until it boils. Put the noodles in." Crowley said, exasperated. Aziraphale still looked confused but nodded anyways. They worked in silence for a moment, before Crowley's ears were met with a piercing yelp from Aziraphale. He whipped around just in time to see the pan crashing to the floor.

"What happened?" He asked, running over.

"It was hot!" Aziraphale exclaimed.

"Yeah, dumbass. That's what happens when you heat a pan." He rubbed the back of his neck as Aziraphale stayed silent. "Alright, I'm sorry. Here. You run your hand under some cool water, then get an ibuprofen from my backpack. Should be in the top pocket. I'll clean up here. And after, you can go cut the onions instead. I'll remake the noodles." Crowley glanced over at the teacher who was glaring at them both and gave a small wave. This only made her frown deepen. He quickly cleaned up the mess as Aziraphale went to rinse off the burn. As soon as he had a new batch of noodles boiling again, Crowley went to check on Aziraphale who had started cutting the onions.

"Did you find the painkiller alright?" Crowley asked.

"I didn't look. I don't feel comfortable taking a pill in school."

"It's a painkiller Aziraphale, it's fine."

"It's not allowed."

"It's not?"

"No."

"Well that's stupid." Crowley said. Aziraphale nodded in response, then sniffed.

"Are these supposed to make your eyes water so much?" He asked, gesturing to the onions. Crowley shrugged.

"Not mine, because, well…" he pointed to his sunglasses.

"Right. Why do you wear them anyways? Just to look cool?"

"Eh. Looking cool, hiding the horrors beneath, either way." Crowley laughed, but Aziraphale didn't miss the hitch in his voice. "Why don't I show you a better way to cut those, so they don't make your eyes water so much?" Crowley asked, voice low. Aziraphale nodded slightly, handing Crowley the knife.

"See, if you just make little cuts like this, you can cut a whole section all at once." Crowley demonstrated, before handing the knife back to him.

"Like… this?" Aziraphale tried. Crowley laughed.

"Sort of… but just… closer together. If I could just…" Crowley lay a hand on top of Aziraphale's as he gently guided his hand through the motions. "There, see? Much better." He let go of his hand, and Aziraphale would be lying if he said he didn't miss the touch, even a little a bit. The rest of the class went through uneventfully, with the teacher giving them a passing grade, and warning not to drop her pots again.

"Don't you want yours?" Aziraphale asked, pointing to Crowley's plate of untouched spaghetti. "I know we have lunch next hour, but if I'm being honest, this is a lot better than the cafeteria food, I suspect it was all because of you." He winked. Crowley shook his head.

"I'm saving it for Beelzebub." He answered, softly.

"Why?" Aziraphale asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"She needs it more than I do."

"Doesn't she have lunch next hour?" Crowley shook his head.

"No. Neither of us do." There was something about the way that he said that that made Aziraphale worry a bit.

"Well, if I'm not overstepping, you're a pretty lanky one, dear. You could use some weight on you." Aziraphale laughed, but his voice betrayed a hint of concern. Crowley however didn't seem to notice, and only raised an eyebrow, slinging his arm over the back of his chair. Aziraphale sighed wistfully, looking at his plate for a long moment, before sliding the remainders of it over to Crowley.

"Why don't you have mine, dear?" Crowley's eyebrows shot up at that.

"What?"

"I mean it. Have mine. It's very kind to save some for your sister and you are a very nice older brother…"

"I'm not kind. Or nice." Crowley hissed.

"…but I think even older brothers need to eat now and again." Aziraphale finished. Crowley hesitated for a moment, before picking up his fork, and picking at the food. Slowly but surely, he began finishing the plate. Aziraphale smiled brightly. "See? Was that so hard? Now, let's clean up before…" The bell rang loudly.

"Oh. Well it's fine if we're a bit late I suppose. It's only lunch."

"You go. I'll clean up.

"But…"

"Like I said, I don't have lunch." Crowley attempted to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Well, alright, if you're sure…"

"I am." Crowley answered swiftly. Aziraphale nodded, before turning to leave. "Oh… and Aziraphale?" Crowley said, softer.

"Hmm?" Aziraphale answered, turning.

"Thanks for this." He said, gesturing to the table. Aziraphale smiled brightly, before heading out the door.

Throughout lunch, all Aziraphale could think about was what Crowley had said. He knew that both he and Beelzebub had lunch that period. Beelzebub had told him so in third hour. He forced himself back into the present, where Gabriel was talking about something or another.

"Babe, would you get me a spoon?" Gabriel asked, turning to Aziraphale. Aziraphale nodded, before scurrying off in search of a spoon. He found a cart near the bathroom and was about to grab a spoon when he heard a curious noise. It sounded like someone was snarling. He peaked around the corner, and his eyes widened when he saw Crowley, being pinned up against the wall by two boys he knew as Hastur and Ligur. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but suddenly, Hastur punched Crowley in the stomach, causing him to double over. Then, they began leaving the bathroom and Aziraphale hurried out of the way, back to the silverware cart. They gave him a glare as they went by but didn't say anything. Aziraphale breathed a sigh of relief, then ran into the bathroom where Crowley was still clutching his stomach.

"Crowley! Are you alright?" Crowley snapped his gaze up to him. Aziraphale gasped as he realized that Crowley's glasses had fallen to the floor. His eyes were such a light brown that they appeared to be more of a golden amber. Crowley's pupils were also stretched downwards to the bottom of his eyes. Crowley seemed to notice at the same moment Aziraphale did, as he quickly shut his eyes.

"Don't look at me…" He whispered, almost hissing, and groped at the floor for his sunglasses. Aziraphale took them from the floor and handed them back to Crowley, who promptly stuck them on his face, before leaning his head against the wall. Aziraphale sat on the floor next to him.

"Why do you hide them?"

"Hide what? My eyes? You saw. They're horrifying." He said, with a frown stretched across his face.

"I think they're quite lovely. They're a very nice golden color…" Aziraphale replied softly. Crowley said nothing, but he could feel him tense next to him. "And your pupil… did something happen?"

"I have coloboma." Crowley said, grimacing. "It's why I've never been great at reading. I don't have great vision."

"I'm sorry. It's not a bad look, though." Aziraphale replied. Crowley looked over to him.

"Why are you here anyways? Did you have to go... you know?" He asked, gesturing to the stalls.

"Hmm? Oh, no. I was just getting a spoon for Gabriel when… oh my God those boys punched you!" Aziraphale cried, suddenly remembering Hastur and Ligur.

"Yep."

"Yep? Has this been going on for a long time Crowley? We need to get someone involved, they can get in serious trouble for that!"

"It's a lot more complicated than that. You should go back to Gabriel." Crowley said, shortly.

"I don't feel comfortable leaving you here by yourself. Why don't you come sit with us? Please?"

"I don't think your boyfriend will like that."

"To hell with what he likes!" Aziraphale suddenly bellowed, then looked embarrassed. "Sorry. But really, just for today at least." Crowley looked at him for a long moment, before he finally nodded.

"Alright. Just for today." He said. Aziraphale smiled widely, before standing and extending a hand to Crowley. He took it, and Aziraphale pulled him up.

"You're very light you know."

"Don't make me regret sitting with you." Crowley scowled. Aziraphale chuckled, and they walked back to the table together.

"Finally. What took you so long… what's he doing here?" Gabriel asked sharply once they arrived.

"I invited him to sit with us today." Aziraphale replied. Gabriel shook his head.

"No. I don't trust him. Either he leaves, or you can't sit with us."

"He's my friend, Gabriel." Aziraphale snapped. Crowley looked up at that.

"And I'm your boyfriend." Gabriel replied. Aziraphale looked at him for a long moment.

"Not anymore." Gabriel stood slowly, towering above Aziraphale, but the shorter boy's resolve never wavered.

"What did you say to me?" He asked, dangerously low.

"I said not anymore! You're a jerk Gabriel. You treat me badly, you disrespect my friends, you break your promises, you don't care about anything I like, how can you expect me to still love you after that? So… yeah. We're done." Aziraphale said, much more confidently than he felt.

"Fine. Like I needed you. But listen here, you're going to regret it. I gave you protection from the jerks who would've been beating your ass. You needed me. So don't come crawling back to me when you are getting slammed into lockers." Gabriel yelled. The bell rang, and just like that, he was gone. Aziraphale turned back to Crowley.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, dear. Could we talk after school, perhaps? Maybe in the garden?" Crowley nodded mutely and watched as Aziraphale walked away. The next two hours were very tense for Aziraphale, with Gabriel shooting him cold glares. Aziraphale wasn't sure how he felt about the breakup. In a way, he felt a lot more free. Gabriel had not treated him well at all. But then again, he was right. Many bullies left him alone because he was dating Gabriel, and as soon as word got out that they had broken up… well he didn't know what would happen. He also thought numbly of how he would explain it to his parents, who had always thought very highly of Gabriel. He forced himself to focus on his work, glancing up at the clock every so often. Soon enough, the final bell rang, and Aziraphale excitedly walked towards the back doors of the school near the garden, only to be stopped by two taller boys that he recognized from the football team. He swallowed loudly.

"Hello, may I help you?" Aziraphale asked, nervously.

"Gabriel let us know you guys broke up," the first boy said.

"Ah." So it had begun already. They cornered Aziraphale into a set of lockers. To say he was scared was an understatement. Sure, he had been bullied before, for his weight and sexual orientation, but never hit. He wasn't sure what they were going to do to him, but it certainly wouldn't be with words. Without warning, the first boy threw his fist into Aziraphale's stomach, and the second kicked his legs, causing him to fall to the floor. They continued hitting him, and he began to scream. Suddenly, one of them was pulled from him and thrown to the ground. The second as well. He looked up in horror as he saw Crowley beating the boys to a pulp. He attempted to pull Crowley off of them, but the boy was in such a state of rage that he was only thrown backwards. It wasn't until two security guards and the principal ran down the hall that Crowley could be pulled off, and by that point the boys were both bruised and bloodied.

"All of you. My office. Now." Said the principal, through clenched teeth. Aziraphale looked at Crowley, but he only looked down, with his face set in a scowl. He sighed and followed behind the principal. This could not be good.


	5. The Proposition

Chapter 5:

Aziraphale sat quietly tucked into himself in one of the chairs facing the principal's desk. Crowley sat next to him, with his arm over Aziraphale's chair back, slouched somehow both casually and protectively at the same time. The other two boys were being treated in the nurse's office.

"Would either of you care to explain how this began?" The principal asked, looking at both boys. Aziraphale opened his mouth to respond, but Crowley beat him to it.

"I saw those two meatheads beating up my friend. So I just stepped in. I really don't see how we are at fault here." He replied. The principal pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I understand that you meant well, Mr. Crowley…"

"So are we good to go?" He interrupted. She gave him a pointed stare before responding.

"But your actions do have consequences. We have a no violence policy at this school." Crowley opened his mouth to respond but hesitated and sat back when Aziraphale put a hand on his arm, shaking his head slightly. The principal continued. "This is also not your first offense, like it is for Aziraphale."

"How is he at fault? He didn't fight back, he only screamed for help! Is that not what you're supposed to do when you're being assaulted?" Crowley said icily.

"We don't have cameras in that part of the hallway. For all we know, he might have been the one that started it." Aziraphale looked over worriedly at Crowley, who was only growing angrier. He gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, but it did not seem to calm him down, if anything, it almost made things worse.

"He started it? _He_ started it? That is the most… utterly… look at him! Why would he want to fight two football players?"

"With your influence, who knows what he is capable of." The principal said and plowed on before Crowley could snap back. "Anyways, I'm not saying he did, and I'm letting him off with a warning. But like I said before, this is not your first offense. So I'm giving you two options. One, we could follow the course of action we would normally take, expulsion." Aziraphale gasped lightly. "However, you are a very bright student. So I'm giving you one last chance. You have to opportunity to pilot a reformation program that is being introduced to the school. It will require once a week sessions with the school's therapist, behavior reports from each of your teachers, and that you be involved in at least one extracurricular. This period will last till the end of the semester. If you pass, you will be able to stay. If not, well, I'm sure you can figure it out from there." Crowley stared at the woman.

"Extracurricular?"

"Yes. And your little 'garden club' does not count, Mr. Crowley. So don't try and find a loophole. It will have to be something approved by me. Perhaps a sports team?" The principal asked. Crowley only raised an eyebrow. "No? Well some art club perhaps… or… you could be involved in the musical?"

Aziraphale suddenly gasped gleefully. "Oh you do have such a lovely voice Crowley, and they do need a strong male lead this year!" He exclaimed. The principal smiled broadly.

"So it's settled then? "

"No, no. Nothings settled. That's not for me." Crowley snapped. Then he sighed as he looked over at Aziraphale's hurt face. "Just… can I have the night to think it over?"

"Of course. Although until I know, you will be on suspended, so better bring it to me in the morning." Crowley grimaced.

"Yes ma'am. Are we done here?" The principal nodded.

"I think so. You both have a way home?" She asked. Crowley flashed his keys for a brief moment, smiling, before he led Aziraphale to the door.

"About that talk…" Aziraphale asked slowly when they got outside.

"I think we're going to have to go farther away from the school for that, angel." Crowley replied. Aziraphale felt butterflies in his stomach at the name.

"Did you have somewhere in mind?"

"Actually, yes. But ah… I actually need to… drivemysisterhome." Crowley said quickly.

"What was that? Sorry dear, I didn't catch the last bit."

"Beelzebub. She doesn't have her emo/goth/cult whatever club today. I need to drive her home. I'm really sorry, can we…"

"I can wait. I have all evening." Aziraphale smiled. Crowley smiled gratefully, before they headed towards the Bentley. Beelzebub was already waiting when they got there, leaning against the car and looking down at her phone.

"Where were you?"

"Had some stuff to take care of. "She rolled her eyes, her gaze falling to rest on Aziraphale.

"Is your boyfriend coming?"

"Just get in the back seat." Crowley replied, not bothering to correct her.

"Fine. Just don't make out while I'm here." She slid into the back seat and sprawled out. Crowley switched on the radio and Beelzebub snorted as Queen's "Lover Boy" came on. Crowley glared at her in the rearview mirror but shifted into drive and sped off. The two siblings quipped at each other throughout the rest of the ride but fell silent as the car screeched to a halt. Aziraphale looked up at the house. It was dark, and uninviting. One of the windows looked as if it had been broken into and was covered with tarp. A dark pickup truck sat in the driveway.

"Shit. Dad's home." Crowley muttered, before looking back to Beelzebub, who had gone pale. Well, paler. She nodded slightly, before silently exiting the car.

"Is everything alright Crowley?" Aziraphale asked, worriedly as he watched Beelzebub go around to the back of the house.

"Yep. Why? Of course it is. We can't stay here though." He put the car into reverse. Aziraphale didn't believe him but nodded and sat back into the seat anyways. They drove until they reached a small café that Aziraphale recognized, but had never actually been in. Once they entered, Aziraphale quickly ordered, and sat down at a table for two that Crowley had sat at.

"Aren't you getting anything?" Aziraphale asked. Crowley shook his head.

"Not hungry." He replied, however his stomach gave a growl in protest. Aziraphale laughed.

"Well I think that is a flat out lie. Come on, won't you have something? Please? It's on me, I insist." Aziraphale pleaded. Crowley glanced up at the menu.

"Alright, perhaps something small. What do you think I should get?" Aziraphale smiled broadly at that.

"I'll order something for you." Their orders came soon enough, Aziraphale sitting down with a plate of crepes, and Crowley with a single blueberry muffin. Crowley watched as Aziraphale immediately started on his dessert. Crowley eyed his own warily. "I don't think they would have poisoned it, dear." Aziraphale said between bites, laughing. Crowley took a few hesitant bites. "How is it?"

"Not bad. Thanks." He replied. They ate in silence, Crowley nibbling on the muffin every so often while Aziraphale steadily polished off his crepes. Finally, sitting back in satisfaction, Aziraphale spoke.

"Why were those boys after you?" Crowley chuckled.

"Straight to the point huh? I could ask the same for you, although with the meatheads who were beating you up."

"I asked you first." Aziraphale complained, but when Crowley raised an eyebrow, he sighed and continued. "Alright. Well news around the school goes fast. Gabriel really was the only thing stopping me from being bullied, I mean, look at me. I'm fat, and not exactly attractive, and all that on top of the odd way I dress and my sexuality, well, I'm a prime target for bullying. So when they heard we broke up, I suppose they decided they could finally sink their claws in." Aziraphale looked down at his stomach and sighed. "I suppose I could start making some changes, at least with my weight and clothes." He looked back up to Crowley, who had an unreadable look on his face. "What?" He finally exclaimed.

"Don't change a thing for them, angel." Crowley said.

"What?" Aziraphale asked again, softer, and more confused. Crowley was blushing like mad but pressed on.

"I said don't change for them. They're all brats who clearly can't see true beauty."

"Ha."

"I mean it. Fuck them, you know? I mean, not literally. But you get the idea."

"Language, dear." Aziraphale said, laughing quietly. Crowley stared at him for a moment before throwing his head back in laughter. Aziraphale giggled a bit too, before shushing him as people began to turn and look. They sat in silence for a moment after that. "What are you going to do about the principal's proposal?" Aziraphale asked, suddenly. Crowley grimaced.

"I had been trying not to think about it."

"I really do think it would be a good opportunity."

"I just don't exactly do… things… with anyone. What would I even join?"

"The musical…"

"No. Absolutely not." Crowley cut him off.

"I'm the student director for this year." Aziraphale said, slowly. Crowley's head snapped up at that.

"When are auditions?" The two spent the rest of the evening talking about the musical. Apparently, it would be a reproduction of Bonnie and Clyde. After, Crowley dropped Aziraphale off at his house, giving him a small wave before speeding off. Aziraphale sighed happily as he entered his house, before he turned around, and saw his parents frowning down at him.

"Aziraphale Fell where have you been?"

"I was just at a café with a friend mother. I'm sorry, I forgot to let you know."

"That wasn't Gabriel." His father said, raising an eyebrow.

"I never said it was."

"So who was it?"

"Crowley." Aziraphale replied, timidly.

"I thought I told you not to…"

"I know his first name now! It's Anthony. Anthony J. Crowley." Aziraphale exclaimed. His father sighed.

"That's not the point. Please, just stick to Gabriel and his friends in the future."

"We broke up."

"What?!" Both his parents yelped at the same time.

"We broke up." Aziraphale said more confidently. "He didn't love me, or treat me right, or…"

"Aziraphale, he was such a nice young man, why…" His mother attempted but was interrupted.

"He wasn't! Not at all! He was rude, and disrespectful, and I didn't love him either!" Aziraphale shouted. "And I don't know why you're taking his side." He finished, softly.

"I want you to make amends with him. Even if you're not back together. He kept you on the right track. I don't want you getting mixed up with any bad kids, not now, not when you're so close to what you want to do."

"But it's not what I want to do is it? It's what you want me to do!" Aziraphale was on the verge of tears.

"Darling we just want what's best for you…" His mother tried.

"Well you clearly don't know what that is." Aziraphale shouted angrily before dashing out the door. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going until he saw the run-down houses surrounding him and stood in front of the one with a blue pick up truck and now black Bentley. He quickly pulled out his phone.

**Aziraphale:** I'm outside.

**Crowley:** what, i don't get a "dear crowley" this time lol?

**Aziraphale:** Please just come out.

**Crowley:** i can't. you'll have 2 come 2 the back. my window is the 1st on the right.

Aziraphale stared down at the message before moving to go to the backyard. He saw Crowley poking his head out of the window to the right and went over to him.

"What are you doing here?" Crowley laughed quietly.

"Can I come in?" Aziraphale asked.

"'spose so." He replied, before grabbing Aziraphale's hand and helping him climb through the window. "What's this… oof!" Crowley exclaimed, as Aziraphale wrapped his arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. He really hadn't realized how small Crowley actually was. Sure, he was tall, but his frame was much bonier and more petite than Aziraphale had expected. He also realized how insane he must have seemed, because he pulled away quickly, looking to the ground.

"Sorry." He mumbled, wiping his face.

"So uh… what are you doing here?" Crowley said, scratched the back of his neck.

"Just wanted to get away."

"From?" Crowley prompted. Aziraphale sighed.

"My parents. They mean well, they really do. But when I told them I broke up with Gabriel, they took his side. I kind of got mad… and ran off. Do you mind terribly if I stayed here tonight?" Aziraphale asked, hopefully. Crowley hesitated, before agreeing.

"Fine. But don't be too loud. My dad would kill me if he found you here."

"I won't." Aziraphale promised. They both quietly did their homework together, with the occasional question. Finally, it was time for bed.

"I kind of forgot pajamas."

"I would offer you some of mine… but…" Crowley said slowly.

"I wasn't asking you to, I know they wouldn't fit me." Aziraphale said sadly.

"Hey, we talked about this, alright? There's nothing wrong with your body." Crowley reassured. Aziraphale nodded. "Are you wearing an undershirt? It would at least be more comfortable." Aziraphale nodded again. "Alright then. Climb in." Aziraphale blushed.

"Oh we're…"

"I don't exactly have anywhere else for you to sleep. I'm not letting you sleep with my sister." Aziraphale laughed lightly at that. "I won't get near you, don't worry." Crowley said.

"If you're sure it's alright."

"I'm sure." Crowley gave him a reassuring smile, before removing his glasses and climbing into the bed, turning to face the wall. Aziraphale stripped down to his boxers and undershirt before joining him on the other side and drifting off to sleep.


	6. A Plant, a Song, a Right, and a Wrong

Chapter 6:

Aziraphale woke up first. He blinked his eyes open, slightly disoriented and confused as he didn't recognize his surroundings. The first thing he noticed were all of the plants. After considering this, he remembered that he was in Crowley's room. It was then that he became aware of the weight on his chest. Looking down slightly, he saw a shock of red hair messily strewn over his body, Crowley's head lying on his stomach like it was a pillow. His arms and legs were somehow wrapped around his body in a snake-like fashion. He didn't dare move, for fear of waking the other boy up. Aziraphale wasn't sure how long he laid like that, before Crowley's breathing suddenly became shallow and ragged, the boy letting out small whimpers as he slept as his head pressed further into his stomach. Ever so gently, Aziraphale let his hand slip through the red hair. Soon, Crowley's breathing evened out, and he gave a contented sigh. Aziraphale smiled, before closing his eyes again, letting his hand rest on Crowley's back comfortingly. He woke up again that morning. Crowley's position had not changed, but as Aziraphale turned his head to face the clock he realized it read 7:14 AM. He quickly shook Crowley awake.

"Crowley!" He hissed.

"Mmmm?" Crowley mumbled, burying his face deeper into Aziraphale's stomach.

"Wake up, we're going to be late for school!" Crowley lifted his head, opened his eyes and looked around.

"Wha… Aziraphale?!" He sprang back from the larger boy as if he had touched something hot.

"Thank you! Hurry up and get dressed."

"You… you were… why were you… why were we…"

"You were the one hugging me dear. I was a bit surprised myself if I'm being honest, I didn't peg you for the cuddling type."

"I'm not!" Crowley protested, eyes filled with horror. Aziraphale smiled at him.

"You really do have the loveliest eyes, dear." He said. Crowley's eyes widened at that, before he snatched his sunglasses from his nightstand. "Now we really are going to be late. Please get dressed. I think it'd distract the other peers if you came into school like that." Aziraphale laughed, glancing at Crowley's chest. Crowley responded by hurriedly pulling a black queen t-shirt over his head, and putting on a pair of dark jeans. Aziraphale looked him over for a moment before nodding. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." Crowley replied. "Back out the window, if you would." The ride to school was a quiet one. Crowley sat rigid, his face still flushed with a dark blush. Aziraphale sat more comfortably, but still straight. When they parked, Crowley went around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Aziraphale, who thanked him, before he headed off to class. Crowley had excused himself to talk to the principal, which worried Aziraphale, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him come into class and take his seat next to him. Throughout first hour Aziraphale found it hard to concentrate, his thoughts wandering back to Crowley. Of course, in the back of his mind, he knew he had always found Crowley to be a bit, well, attractive. From his petite figure to the way he dressed, to his fiery hair, Aziraphale considered him to be quite handsome. However, it wasn't until the previous night that he had thought about them being anything more than friends. He had a slight suspicion that Crowley might not be straight, as he didn't appear to have any specific interest in the girls that would attempt to flirt with him, but now that he thought about it, he didn't seem all that interested in the guys either. Aziraphale's train of thought was suddenly interrupted with a quick jab to the stomach from Crowley.

"Aziraphale?" The teacher asked sharply. Aziraphale looked up, embarrassed as he realized that the entire class was staring at him.

"Yes?"

"Will you answer the question?"

"…Can you repeat the question please?" Aziraphale asked, shamefully. The teacher raised an eyebrow but continued.

"In question four, would you reject, or fail to reject the null hypothesis?" Aziraphale looked down at his paper, only to realize it was blank. However, Crowley had slowly slid his over for him to look at. He had circled the words "fail to reject."

"Fail to reject, sir." Aziraphale said, nervously. The teacher nodded, before turning back to the board.

"I do hope you will try and pay more attention in the future, Mr. Fell."

"Yes sir." Aziraphale said, miserably, before whispering: "thanks Crowley." In response, Crowley gave him a small smile, before turning back to his work. Aziraphale willed himself to work through the rest of his problems, before finally the bell rang. He moved to leave, but Crowley stopped him.

"Are you alright, angel?" He asked. The name shivers down Aziraphale's spine.

"I think so, why do you ask?"

"You just seemed distracted. Anyways, walk with me to choir?"

"Of course," Aziraphale answered, smiling broadly. Aziraphale was distracted again all through choir, until he heard his teacher begin to talk about musical auditions. He held his breath as he watched students go to the front of the room to sign up, waiting for Crowley. One by one they went. Finally, at the end, he saw a movement to the side, as Crowley slowly sauntered up. The teacher stared at him with wide eyes.

"Crowley? Did you need something?" He asked. The class fell silent. Crowley shook his head, before writing his name under the part of 'Clyde,' before returning to his place, head bent low.

In third hour, Crowley walked Aziraphale to his desk before moving to his own, but Beelzebub stopped him

"I heard you signed up for the musical." Beelzebub said, buzzing her "s's" slightly.

"And?"

"You're going soft, brother." She teased. He glared at her, before walking away. She turned to Aziraphale. "You slept with him." She said, after observing him for a moment. He flushed.

"Well, yes, technically, but not in a way that was more than friends. I just needed a place to stay for the night. Nothing happened." Beelzebub raised an eyebrow, before turning to face the front of the class.

"I hope he knows what he's doing." She said softly, almost to herself.

"Pardon?"

"Falling for you, that is. When he broke up with his first and only boyfriend, Lucifer, well things went downhill fast. I don't want history to repeat itself. I hope you both know what you're doing."

"Crowley and I aren't more than friends, Beelzebub. And… wait did you say boyfriend?" Beelzebub smirked at that.

"Did you honestly think he was straight?" She said, glancing at him.

"I didn't know what I thought. I didn't want to assume anything." She nodded, her face unreadable.

"He likes you. I can tell." Beelzebub said. Aziraphale was about to respond when the teacher began explaining the project. Apparently, they would be replicating Gregor Mendel's pea plant experiment for the remainder of the coming months. They were assigned lab stations in the greenhouse area. He and Beelzebub were across from Gabriel and Crowley, though as they began working, Gabriel left to go talk with his friends at a different lab station, leaving Crowley alone with the other two. It turns out, in the entire class Crowley was the only one who actually knew what he was doing. Aziraphale and Beelzebub mainly worked on the worksheet portion together for their group, allowing Crowley take the wheel for the actual physical work with the pea plants they received. Not that Aziraphale minded, of course. He didn't care for garden work, too messy in his opinion. But he loved seeing Crowley talk about what he was passionate about. He watched as he documented the color and shape of each of the peas, explaining how the process worked at lightning speed. Soon, it was time to go. Fourth hour flew by rather quickly, as their assignment was chocolate chip cookies. (There was only one mishap this time, which resulted in Aziraphale being covered with flour, but other than that the hour went smoothly.) They walked together to the lunchroom, but as Crowley turned to leave like normal, Aziraphale stopped him.

"Would you sit with me today?" Aziraphale asked, hopefully.

"Not in there." Crowley replied.

"What if we went to the auditorium lobby? As student director I'm technically allowed to be in there, and there's no classes fourth hour…"

"Just the two of us?" Crowley asked. Aziraphale nodded.

"That sounds… alright." Crowley said, slowly. Aziraphale beamed, and led the way. They talked for the rest of lunch about nothing in particular, while sitting on the floor of the auditorium lobby. Aziraphale felt Crowley leaning just slightly into him as they sat huddled next to him, but he didn't mention it. Aziraphale even convinced Crowley to eat a bite of his own sandwich.

"You're going to make me fat, angel." Crowley said, sighing contentedly.

"Is that why you don't eat? My dear you are the epitome of slender, I don't think any amount of begging from me could change that." Aziraphale replied. Crowley laughed. "What?" Aziraphale asked.

"Nothing. Just the way you talk. 'Epitome of slender.' It's an interesting way of putting it."

"Ah." They sat in silence for a moment. "I'm glad you signed up for the musical." Aziraphale felt Crowley tense slightly beside him. "I suppose I'm just glad I don't have to be alone this year." Crowley relaxed.

"Mmm. I've been alone ever since…" Crowley cut himself off suddenly.

"Ever since what, dear?" Aziraphale prompted.

"It's not important. I just haven't trusted very easily I guess." He shrugged.

"Do you trust me?" Aziraphale asked, hopefully. Crowley was silent for a long while, and Aziraphale was afraid he had pushed too far.

"Yes, I think so." Crowley said. Aziraphale smiled, relieved as he felt Crowley relax once again. Aziraphale gently laid his hand out on his lap, and ever so slowly watched as Crowley's creeped over to take it. They didn't say anything for the rest of lunch, opting instead to sit side by side, holding hands in silence. After school, Crowley drove Aziraphale home, with Aziraphale rereading _To the Lighthouse_ as Crowley sang along to _Love of My Life_. Once they parked, Aziraphale hesitated getting out of the car. He had been putting off the confrontation between his parents and him, but now as he was facing it, he was very reluctant to go in.

"You good?" Crowley asked. Aziraphale smiled weakly.

"Yes… it's just… oh… it's nothing."

"What is it?"

"I just… I know they will tell me to get back together with Gabriel. I know they'll take his side. But I just don't love him! But I think that… that they think you're a bad influence on me or something." Crowley's face fell at that.

"I never meant to disturb their perfect image of you." He said, bitterly. Aziraphale stared at him.

"No! No. That's not what I meant, Crowley dear, you have treated me so much better than Gabriel ever did, even when things were good between us. I just wish they would know how truly wonderful you are, as I do." He said wistfully. Crowley pursed his lips, thinking for a moment.

"Why don't I talk with them then?" Crowley asked, slowly.

"You'd do that for me?"

"For you, anything." Crowley smiled, sounding a lot more confident than he felt. But as Aziraphale smiled brightly at him, any doubts he had about the meeting instantly melted away. Crowley got out of the car, and sauntered around to it's side, opening Aziraphale's door once again, and helping him out, before the two walked up to Aziraphale's house together. When they opened the door, his parents were already staring anxiously at them. His father seemed angry, while his mother just seemed hurt.

"Mother, father, this is Crowley. Anthony J. Crowley." Aziraphale said, steadily. Crowley snapped his head in Aziraphale's direction, about to question how he knew his name, but a stern look from Aziraphale silenced him. His mother was the first to respond.

"Anthony, was it?" Crowley grimaced at the name, but nodded. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd be delighted." Crowley said smiling, before looking down at Aziraphale, who gave him a reassuring nod. Crowley and Aziraphale followed Mrs. Fell into the kitchen with Mr. Fell trailing close behind. Crowley sniffed the air, before speaking.

"Is that angel food cake I smell?" He said, curiously. Mrs. Fell looked delighted.

"Why yes! It's one of Aziraphale's favorites. That's quite a nose you've got there, Anthony." She said. "Although I have to say, I'm having trouble making it rise. It was meant to be a surprise for him, as he always loves it when we have it out, but I can't seem to get it just right," she said wistfully, looking over the recipe.

"The secret, I've found, is always with the eggs."

"Oh?" Mrs. Fell replied, looking surprised.

"Yes, I've found that it's best to separate the whites and yolks of the eggs when they are cold to keep from breaking, but the whites should be to room temperature before beating. Oh, and a bit of extra sugar never hurts to make it fluffier." Crowley said, then suddenly looked embarrassed. "I hope I haven't overstepped."

"Oh, not at all, dear! Perhaps you would be willing to help me out sometime, I would really like to make it for his birthday, it's coming up fast!"

"He didn't tell me that!" Crowley said, in mock offense.

"Well I didn't want you to get me anything, it was already too kind of you to get me that book I admire so." Aziraphale said, blushing lightly.

"What book?" Mrs. Fell laughed, nervously.

"To the Lighthouse."

"Oh, I thought that had been Gabriel." She said, frowning.

"Nope. All Crowley." Aziraphale replied. The room was silent for a moment.

"Are you two… together?" Mr. Fell asked bluntly.

"What? No! Of course not. That's ridiculous. Just friends, father." Aziraphale said quickly, but didn't miss the flash of hurt that went across Crowley's face as he said it.

"Oh. Good." He replied. "Well, I'll be in my study. Call me when dinner is ready." The three of them watched him leave.

"Sorry about that, he's nice once you get to know him, I swear." Mrs. Fell laughed half-heartedly. Crowley nodded.

"Oh!" Aziraphale said suddenly. "Crowley is quite the gardener, mother. Would you mind too terribly if I showed him?"

"But there's nothing in it!" Mrs. Fell laughed.

"He could help plant one!" Aziraphale exclaimed, looking to Crowley. "If you'd want to, of course."

"I'd love to." Crowley replied, smiling down at him. Crowley spent the rest of the time until dinner talking to Mrs. Fell and Aziraphale about his garden work at the school, and occasionally giving her tips on her cooking, which she gratefully accepted, until eventually Crowley was the one making the majority of the dinner, with Mrs. Fell watching to the side. After it was all done, Crowley helped Mrs. Fell set the table, while Aziraphale went to go find his father.

"He likes you a lot." Mrs. Fell said quietly.

"Hmm?" Crowley asked.

"Aziraphale. He looks at you the way he looks at his favorite book, or meal. And I don't mean that in a bad way."

"That's ridiculous." Crowley scoffed, following it up with a quick "no offense."

"None taken. It's really not though. I should know, I'm his mother. The real question is, do you like him? In more than the way of friendship, of course." Crowley was about to respond when Aziraphale and Mr. Fell walked in.

"Dinner is ready?" Mr. Fell asked.

"Yes, dear. Anthony here actually helped prepare it." Mr. Fell nodded, smiling at him, but his eyes glared daggers.

"How lovely." The four of them then sat down to eat.

"So, Crowley, do you have any siblings?"

"A sister, named Beelzebub." Aziraphale answered quickly. His parents choked slightly at that.

"Her real name is Beatrice," Crowley said quickly, glancing at Aziraphale. "Beelzebub is just a nickname." Then leaning down to Azirapahle, "Don't tell her I told you that," he said quietly. Aziraphale just laughed.

"Oh, how lovely! And what about your parents?" Mrs. Fell asked. Aziraphale felt Crowley instantly tense at that.

"I live with my dad."

"And your mother?"

"She committed suicide." Crowley said, darkly.

"Oh… oh dear… I'm very sorry to hear that." Mrs. Fell said, shakily. Aziraphale looked up at Crowley, whose face was nearly unreadable, save for a slight furrowing of his brow as he stared down at his food.

"It's fine." Crowley responded, in a clipped tone. A silence fell over the room. Aziraphale was the first to break it.

"Crowley's auditioning to be the lead in the musical." Aziraphale said, purposefully leaving out the reasons behind why he was.

"Oh? Do you sing?" Mrs. Fell asked.

"Among other things." Crowley replied, giving her a slight smile that looked more like a grimace. She didn't seem to notice.

"How lovely, perhaps you could sing a song for us after?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe." Crowley said, shortly. Aziraphale beamed at that. After dinner, Mrs. Fell insisted that she could handle cleaning up, and Mr. Fell returned to his study, leaving Aziraphale and Crowley on their own to wander the house. Aziraphale gave Crowley a brief tour, before they ended up in a room with a large grand piano in it.

"Do you play?" Crowley asked.

"No. My mother does a bit. I've always wanted to learn, though."

"Maybe I could teach you sometime."

"Oh? You play?" Aziraphale asked.

"You sound surprised."

"I am a bit. When did you learn?" Aziraphale asked. Crowley shrugged.

"I took some lessons when I was little."

"Do you… do you think you could play for me?" Aziraphale asked, hesitantly. Crowley didn't respond, instead opting to sit down on the bench, placing his hands on the keys. He played a brief opening, before starting to sing. Aziraphale recognized it as the song that had been on the radio when they drove Beelzebub home.

"_Dining at the Ritz, we'll meet at nine precisely." _Crowley sang.

"_I will pay the bill, you taste the wine. Driving back in style, in my saloon will do quite nicely. _

_Just take me back to yours that will be fine."_

Aziraphale allowed himself to get lost in Crowley's voice, just as he had in choir, and in the garden. He felt himself moving closer, until he was sitting on the bench next to Crowley, who didn't seem to mind one bit. It was only after the song was over, and he heard applause coming from the doorway that Aziraphale was broken from his trance.

"Oh, Anthony dear, that was lovely!" Mrs. Fell exclaimed. Crowley shrugged.

"She's right, you really do have the loveliest voice, Crowley." Aziraphale said, touching his arm lightly. Crowley gave him a quick smile, patting his hand before checking his watch.

"Oh, it's getting late. I should be going soon." He said. Aziraphale nodded sadly.

"Oh, alright. Will you… tomorrow I mean... would you mind…"

"Picking you up for school tomorrow? I'd love to." Crowley said. Aziraphale smiled, relieved.

"Yes, that. Thank you, dear boy." Aziraphale walked Crowley out to the front door. "Thank you for staying tonight, Crowley." He said, happily.

"Wouldn't have missed it." Crowley said, before leaning down and kissing Aziraphale's cheek gently. As he pulled away, Aziraphale stood stunned, and barely registered his own movements when he waved goodbye as Crowley drove off into the night. Perhaps the two of them wouldn't be so ridiculous after all.


	7. A Picnic

Chapter 7:

The following morning was a weekend, so Aziraphale was slightly surprised when he got a text from Crowley.

**Crowley: **hey

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley: Hello!

Love, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley: **what are you doing?

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley: I am not doing anything at the moment. Would you like to have a picnic?

Love, Aziraphale. 😊

Aziraphale stared worriedly down at his phone as the three little dots appeared, then disappeared. Had he been too forward? Should he have just asked Crowley what he was doing instead? Aziraphale sighed in relief as he heard his phone buzz as Crowley finally responded.

**Crowley: **sure. i'll bring the food.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley: Would you like me to bring anything?

Love, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley: ** no, that's ok. wouldn't want u burning urself again… 😉

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley: I wouldn't! But if you insist… will you pick me up?

Love, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley: ** what time?

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley: Twelve would be lovely.

Love, Aziraphale. 😊

**Crowley: ** alright. it's a date.

Aziraphale stared at those words for a long time. It's a date? That couldn't possibly mean what he thought it meant, people used that expression as friends… didn't they? He shook his head, and glanced over to his closet. It wouldn't hurt to wear something nice, he supposed. Well, nicer than normal, which was already fairly nice. He could barely concentrate on his school work, waiting all day in anticipation for their… meeting? No that was too formal. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. He ran downstairs only to find his mother had already answered it. Beyond her, stood Crowley, dressed in his usual dark waistcoat, a nice black button down shirt, and black suit. He held a basket in his arms, which looked very odd with the rest of his ensemble. What was the most striking, however, were the flowers. A bunch of tulips, moss rose, iris, pansies, and cyclamen. He recognized the combination from his Victorian Flower Dictionary as being the first bouquet in a courtship. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

"I see you… ah… know the flower language?" Aziraphale asked nervously. Crowley's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at that.

"Well… a bit… do you?" Crowley asked nervously.

"Yes. A bit."

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Is someone going to explain to me what's going on?" Aziraphale's mother asked, eyeing the two suspiciously.

"I'm here to take Aziraphale for a picnic. I brought flowers. Nothing else." Crowley grunted, reassuming his original calm composure.

"I see." Mrs. Fell raised her eyebrow, smiling slightly, before returning into the house. Aziraphale smiled up at Crowley.

"Shall we?" Crowley nodded in response, and they walked out to the car together. The ride to the park was fairly quiet, with Queen playing quietly in the background for once. Aziraphale caught himself stealing glances at Crowley, but stopped when Crowley eventually took notice and smiled back at him. Aziraphale turned back to the front, blushing madly when he heard Crowley's low laugh come from the other side of the car. When they parked, Crowley set up the blanket for them, gesturing for Aziraphale to sit, before doing the same himself. It was then that it occurred to Aziraphale what an odd pair they must seem, with Aziraphale's beige and tartan suit and Crowley's black ensemble.

"So… ah… what have you made today?" Aziraphale said, awkwardly. Crowley responded by lifting the lid of the basket. Aziraphale gasped. "Sushi? Hardly picnic food…" He laughed lightly, but quickly stopped as Crowley's face fell.

"Do you not like it?"

"No! No, dear boy, no, I am quite fond of sushi, it was just an unexpected surprise." Crowley smiled, and Aziraphale smiled back, relieved. "May I?"

"Oh, yeah. Go ahead." Crowley said, hurriedly. Aziraphale took a bite out of the first roll. He sighed contentedly. "Something wrong?" Crowley's voice broke him out of his trance.

"Hmm? Oh, no, not at all, I'm simply enjoying the meal." Aziraphale took another bite. "Won't you have any? I'm sure you put a lot of thought into making it.

"No, I don't think I should." Crowley frowned, looking down at his own stomach. Aziraphale frowned.

"If it's your weight you're worried about… well… you're very slender already. I'm not saying it's unattractive of course, but I don't know if attempting to lose any more would be healthy."

"It's not that."

"Oh." Aziraphale wasn't sure what to make of that, so he dropped it. They sat in silence for a few moments. Suddenly, Crowley spoke.

"You think I'm attractive?" He was grinning slightly. Aziraphale suddenly panicked.

"What? Well I suppose in an unconventional way you have a very attractive face, and nice hair, oh and the loveliest eyes, but that's just in general I'm not saying that it's necessarily…" Aziraphale trailed off as Crowley gently shushed him.

"I'm just messing with you, angel." There it was again, that name. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Did friends call each other angel? He decided to change the topic.

"How are you coming on practice for the audition?" Crowley shrugged.

"Haven't started."

"What?" Aziraphale practically yelped. Crowley only looked amused.

"I said I haven't started."

"I know what you mean but… do you even know what song you're going to sing?" Crowley shook his head, and though he couldn't see them, Aziraphale could practically fell him rolling his eyes..

"Got any recommendations?" He asked, sarcastically. Aziraphale thought on this for a moment.

"Well… I think the character of Clyde has a lot of edge and rasp at some parts, but he can also sing very beautifully." _Just like you_, Aziraphale thought. "Know any musical songs like that?" Crowley smiled.

"Actually, yeah."

"Really? What one? Perhaps I know it too."

"I think you might." Aziraphale waited for him to elaborate.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's the song?"

"It's a surprise." Crowley laughed. Aziraphale glared.

"That's not very nice, _Anthony_." Crowley cringed.

"How did you know that was my name? It was Beelzebub wasn't it?"

"_Beatrice_, you mean?" Aziraphale laughed. "And yeah, who else?"

"If you call her that, she will kill you."

"Noted." They sat in silence for a few more moments. Finally, Crowley spoke.

"Would you like desert?" Aziraphale's ears perked up at that.

"There's desert?" Crowley smiled, before pulling a small dish out of the basket. Aziraphale gasped. "Angel's food cake… my favorite. What's this about?" Crowley shrugged.

"Happy early birthday, angel." Aziraphale smiled.

"Thank you, dear." They sat in silence for a while more, scooching closer and closer to each other until soon they were leaning up against each other. But for some reason, it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, it felt almost natural. They just sat, unmoving, watching the world slowly pass by. Before long, it was time to go. Crowley was the first to stand, offering a hand to Aziraphale, who took it. However, once he was up, Crowley didn't let go, until they reached the car. Aziraphale was sure his brain short circuited in that time, because he didn't register walking anywhere, until he realized that the hand gripping his own was pulling away. He reluctantly let go, before climbing back into the Bentley, back into reality. He glanced at his phone for a moment, frowning as he saw multiple texts from Gabriel.

**Gabriel: **Hey babe… I'm really sorry. I just got a little possessive, you know how much I like you.

**Gabriel: **Silent treatment, really? C'mon babe, you're better than this.

**Gabriel: **You think I need you? You know, I could ruin you. You and your reputation. I was the only thing holding you up. You need me. You're making a big mistake. What are you leaving me for anyways, that goth man-whore?

"Hey!" Crowley said, snapping Aziraphale's attention back to the current situation.

"Sorry, what?" Aziraphale replied, quietly.

"I was just saying that we're here. Are you ok? You look a bit pale. I could... mmf!" Crowley was cut off as Aziraphale suddenly leaned over the passenger's seat and kissed him. It lasted for only a moment, before Aziraphale pulled away, eyes wide in horror.

"Oh… oh dear Crowley… I am so sorry I don't know what came over me… I just…" This time it was Aziraphale who was silenced, as Crowley leaned over and kissed him, much less violently. "Oh." It was all Aziraphale could say, as Crowley slowly pulled away.

"Look, Aziraphale, I know you just got out of a relationship, so I'm going to say it right now, I don't just want to be you're rebound but… I really like you, alright?" Aziraphale nodded silently, before climbing out of the car. "Oh, and Aziraphale?" Aziraphale turned back to look at the other boy. "For the record, I find you unconventionally attractive as well." Crowley smiled as he sped off, leaving Aziraphale slightly dazed, but happy.

The rest of the weekend passed by fairly uneventfully. Aziraphale hadn't heard from Crowley, but he didn't worry too much about it. However, when Crowley didn't show up to pick him up on Monday, he began to grow concerned.

**Aziraphale: **Dear Crowley: Are you alright? I'm just a bit worried that you didn't come today. I hope you are alright.

Love, Aziraphale.

Aziraphale frowned at his phone when he received no response. He shook his head. He was sure it was fine, he was probably just busy. _Like Gabriel had been._ He pushed the thought out of his mind, opting instead distract himself while walking to school. Throughout first and second period, he grew more and more concerned, as Crowley didn't show up to either. Once he reached third period, he was first relieved when he saw Beelzebub at her desk, then horrified when he saw a dark purple bruise lining the side of her face.

"Beelzebub! What happened!" Aziraphale exclaimed, rushing over. "Did… did Crowley…"

"He didn't do this." Beelzebub snapped, defensively.

"Oh. Is he alright?"

"That depends on what 'alright' means to you." She answered, cryptically. Aziraphale nodded slowly, not fully understanding. He texted Crowley periodically throughout the day, still with no response. Now he was truly worried. It wasn't until Aziraphale was going to bed when he finally heard from him.

**Crowley:** it's ok. don't worry about me.

**Aziraphale:** Thank God, Anthony, I thought something had happened to you! Please, just tell me what's going on!

**Crowley:** i can't right now.

**Aziraphale:** I'm really worried.

**Crowley:** i'm sorry.

Aziraphale sighed, hoping that tomorrow would bring more answers.

Author's note: Hey everyone! I'm really sorry this chapter is so short, and that I haven't updated in a while. I've been at my first week of college and everything is rather hectic. I hope to start updating more regularly, but we'll see. Thank you all for reading!


	8. Santa Fe

Warning: Lots of fluff and angst in this chapter, so prepare yourself.

Chapter 8

**Aziraphale:** Dear Crowley: Auditions are today. Are you coming?

Love, Aziraphale.

Aziraphale sighed as he sat back in his chair. Crowley had been gone for three days now. He had questioned Beelzebub, but she hadn't given him more answers, and he was worried. No, he was beyond worried. Had it been the kiss? He desperately hoped not. Suddenly, his phone rang.

**Crowley:** yeah, i'll be there.

Aziraphale breathed a sigh of relief.

**Aziraphale:** Dear Crowley: Wonderful! Do you think you could give me a ride to school today?

Love, Aziraphale.

**Crowley:** Dear Aziraphale: Sure. Love, Crowley.

Aziraphale laughed lightly at Crowley's clear mockery of him for a moment, before responding with his own.

**Aziraphale:** ok see u in a few

Crowley didn't respond to that. Aziraphale stood, and flicked idly through his closet for a moment before deciding on a nice beige sweater and tan pants, before hurrying downstairs. He saw the Bentley parked outside, but when Crowley didn't exit, he cautiously walked out the door and to the passenger's side, climbing in slowly. Crowley sat in the driver's seat, head bent low. At first, Aziraphale thought it was just the lighting, but gasped when he realized that Crowley's entire face was decorated with dark purple bruising that was partially covered with a very cheap concealer.

"Oh Crowley… what happened to you?" Aziraphale whispered quietly, reaching a hand up in gesture to his face. Crowley didn't respond, and only put the car into drive. Aziraphale took in the rest of the other boy's frame silently. He looked impossibly thinner and paler, and his hands gripped the wheel as if it were his only lifeline. He seemed to be shaking as well. As they walked in, neither spoke, but when Aziraphale slipped a hand into Crowley's he didn't pull away, and instead gripped it desperately. As they entered the school, they passed Gabriel. He looked as if he was about to say something, but a stern glare from Aziraphale silenced him. Aziraphale held Crowley's hand all through math class, (he had some trouble using his left hand to write, but Crowley didn't need to know that.) It wasn't until choir that he finally pulled away. Crowley frowned, but moved to his own spot anyways. Aziraphale supposed that was a good sign.

They sat together during lunch again, and once again, Crowley refused to eat. At the end of the day, it was time for the auditions to start. The part of Bonnie was first. Aziraphale listened to each of the young women, and he and the rest of the board eventually decided on a senior named Anathema. Next was the part of Clyde. Many of the boys sang songs from Guys and Dolls, Dear Evan Hansen, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Misérables. Aziraphale cringed at most of them, who clearly did not know what they were doing, or how to handle such big songs, but he was also worried as he did not see Crowley waiting off to the side. However, just as they were about to close auditions for Clyde, Crowley sauntered in, slowly. The room fell silent. The beginning chords came, but it was a song that Aziraphale only vaguely recognized as being from the musical "Newsies." It wasn't something he would have thought Crowley would have known, but it was strangely fitting. He wasn't even aware of the lyrics until halfway through the song, as he was so lost in Crowley's voice.

"Let me go!

Far away!

Somewhere they won't ever find me, and tomorrow won't remind me of today."

Aziraphale couldn't help but close his eyes as he let the words wash over him, as he listened to each dip and rise in Crowley's voice, sounding somehow both brave and desperate at the same time. He could feel the emotion rising past the song itself, stripping away the façade of indifference until all that was left was Crowley, singing to what seemed to be him and him alone.

"And I'm gone!

And I'm done!

No more running. No more lying."

Somehow, Aziraphale knew that the song was more than just an audition to Crowley, it was a confession, and a promise.

"I need space… and fresh air…

Let them laugh in my face, I don't care.

Save my place, I'll be there."

Aziraphale didn't hear the last verse as he once again opened his eyes to gaze at Crowley, who looked so small in the large room. He didn't even register that the song had ended until he saw Crowley beginning to leave. He excused himself from the panel before running after him

"Crowley! Wait! Crowley!" Aziraphale shouted as he huffed after him. Crowley continued to walk without acknowledging him. "Crowley, please just wait for a moment!" He shouted. Crowley turned to face him slowly, head bent low.

"What." He muttered.

"I just… oh Crowley… that was…"

"Horrible?"

"Wonderful."

"Oh." The two boys stood in silence for a moment. Aziraphale looked down at his hands, and blushed as he realized in his attempt to slow Crowley, he had grabbed his hand and hadn't let go.

"I suppose I should get back to finish auditions…"

"Yep." Crowley turned to leave but turned back as Aziraphale gripped his hand once again.

"Wait…" Aziraphale said, letting go of his hand, but Crowley didn't leave. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I want to help. But I can't do that if you don't let me. I'm going to go back in there now, but I'd still like to talk after, alright? Promise?" Aziraphale said softly. Crowley didn't answer. Aziraphale sighed. "I care about you a great deal Anthony. I hope you know that." Aziraphale hesitantly raised himself up onto his toes and placed a chaste kiss on Crowley's lips. Crowley remained motionless, not moving until after Aziraphale had walked back inside the audition room.

The auditions finished. Crowley had been decided on as Clyde unanimously. The other more minor parts were doled out without too much disagreement. Finally, Aziraphale walked to the back of the school where he hoped to find Crowley. At first, he was disappointed, but as he turned to leave, he heard a quiet noise in the garden. Slowly and quietly walking around, he found Crowley, huddled against the garden gate, between two large bushes. His legs were drawn to his chest, and his head was bent to his knees.

"Crowley?" Aziraphale asked hesitantly. Crowley's head shot up, and he quickly jumped up, brushing himself off. He grinned at Aziraphale slightly, but Aziraphale didn't miss the tear tracks that ran down his cheeks.

"'ello Aziraphale!" He exclaimed. Aziraphale smiled slightly, deciding not to comment on Crowley's obvious distress, (for which Crowley was grateful.)

"Hello, dear." He replied. "I just wanted to let you know that the part of Clyde is yours."

"I couldn't care less." Crowley said, but he smiled more genuinely nonetheless. They both sat together in the garden, talking for hours, until Aziraphale's phone rang, as his parents were wondering where he was. As Crowley dropped him off, it occurred to him that they never had the conversation about his face. But, he decided, that was a talk for a later day.

"So, Anthony got the part of Clyde then?" His mother asked. "That's wonderful! I look forward to hearing him sing when we come and see the musical." Aziraphale grinned.

"Me too." His father was silent for a moment, before he spoke.

"Gabriel came by this afternoon."

"Oh?" Aziraphale said, nervously.

"Yes, he was wondering if you were in." Aziraphale's mother answered slowly.

"Did he say what for?"

"No, he just wanted to talk."

"Oh." Aziraphale replied, after a moment.

"You should talk with him."

"I thought we talked about this already, father. I don't want to talk to him." Aziraphale said, irritated.

"His family is of a very good standing in the community, and he is a very nice young man. We are fine with you being… gay…" His father spat out the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "But we won't have you in a relationship with some troublemaker. Even if he is trying to change with the musical, no one truly changes completely from who they are underneath."

"I agree." Aziraphale said icily. "Crowley may seem like a troublemaker on the surface, but it doesn't change the fact that he cares for me underneath all the walls he puts up. Gabriel, however, may seem like the perfect man, but inside he is completely and utterly rotten."

"So you admit that there is something going on between you!" His father yelled.

"No. I don't." Aziraphale said dangerously low. "But if there was, it's not up to you to decide what is best for me."

"Go to your room." Mr. Fell growled.

"Darling!" Mrs. Fell exclaimed.

"Now." Aziraphale ran upstairs, tears brimming over his eyes. From his bedroom, he could still hear his parent's conversation.

"That was harsh, darling." Mrs. Fell said.

"No, no. I won't have you defending him! I don't want him with that boy!" Mr. Fell exclaimed.

"Why not? We don't know what he's like.

"Exactly my point! We don't know him. But we know Gabriel."

"Do we really?"

"Yes! Clearly Aziraphale has just a few too many hormones running around in that teenage mind of his. Gabriel is a nice boy. Aziraphale just wants attention. We shouldn't encourage him." Aziraphale's eyes widened at that. Was that really what they thought?" He couldn't take it anymore. He knew he couldn't go out through the door, as they wouldn't fall for that a second time. So he very carefully opened his window, and climbed out, jumping from the roof onto the bush below. He groaned in pain, but after making sure nothing was sprained, he began the long walk to Crowley's house. He was about to text Crowley to let him in through the window when he heard a noise. Cautiously, he made his way to the side of the house and peered inside. He froze in horror at what he saw. Crowley lay on his side curled up on the floor. Above him, towered a tall man, holding what looked to be a belt. Though Aziraphale couldn't see the man's face, the shock of red hair was entirely too recognizable. _It must be his father_, he thought. Aziraphale could do nothing but watch as the man repeatedly kicked him and whipped him, screaming horrible names at him.

"Faggot!" He screeched. "Whore!" All the while Crowley was hardly moving. If it wasn't for the slight sobs that wracked his body one might have thought he was dead. After what felt like hours, it was finally over, and the man left. It took a few moments for Aziraphale to regain control over his body before rushing to the window. Crowley still lay on the floor, sobbing violently.

"Crowley!" Aziraphale whispered. Crowley shot upright to look out the window. His glasses had been thrown to the side, revealing red brimmed eyes that stared out at him.

"Aziraphale?" He hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you… but… oh Crowley… how long has…"

"It's not important." Crowley snapped. "Why are you here anyways?" He asked again, softer this time.

"Don't do that, Crowley. Don't keep deflecting me. The only way I can help you is if you let me." Aziraphale whispered, sadly. Crowley's looked down at the ground.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"We don't have to talk… tonight at least." Aziraphale reassured. Crowley nodded.

"You should go."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"You heard what he called me. If he finds you here, we're both dead."

"Then let's go somewhere else." Crowley's head shot up at that.

"What?"

"Let's go somewhere else for the night. It doesn't matter where. The park, the school garden, I don't care. Let's go somewhere." Crowley laughed quietly at that.

"What happened to 'you go too fast for me?'"

"Please, Crowley." Aziraphale begged. Crowley looked at him, long and hard, and for a moment Aziraphale was afraid he would say no. But then, Crowley nodded.

"Let's go."

They ended up deciding on the park, in a little hidden nook behind a grove of trees. It was quiet and secluded enough that no one would notice them there. They sat together on a blanket, back to back.

"This is insane," said Crowley, laughing lightly. Aziraphale hummed in agreement. "Why did you want to get out of the house anyways?"

"Oh, just my parents again. It seems trivial now though." He felt Crowley shift behind him and turned to face the other boy. His glasses were still off, but Aziraphale didn't mention it this time.

"What happened?"

"Oh, I don't know. They were defending Gabriel and saying that I should be with him instead of you." Aziraphale's eyes widened after he realized what he had just said. Crowley only smiled faintly, and gently kissed him.

"I think they're wrong about that." Aziraphale stared at him in shock.

"I… I suppose so," he stuttered. They were silent for a while after that, opting to look up at the sky instead. Even though no stars were out, the moon lit up the clouds above, so they watched them swirl across the sky together. Aziraphale wasn't sure when, but at some point, he realized that Crowley was leaning into his side, breathing more heavily than before. He didn't dare move, in fear of waking the other boy, but eventually, once he was sure he wouldn't wake, he slowly lay down. Crowley instinctively curled into his side, and Aziraphale drew a protective arm around him. It wasn't long before he closed his eyes as well.


End file.
